Body Armor for the modern cyclist
A teenager who allegedly hit a cyclist while driving and text messaging was charged with a misdemeanor, authorities said.
The 17-year-old was charged with careless driving causing death, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said. The charge carries a maximum sentence of one year in prison.
Authorities said he lost control of the car because he was sending text messages on a cell phone. He was issued a summons and ordered to appear in court, authorities said.
I find it difficult to agree with laws that consider the degree of stupidity or carelessness to be of greater weight — than the death of someone killed by that incompetent behavior.
Is the law to protect the public, bring justice for the victim, or punish the transgressor?
In this case, no matter what the choice is, it will fail. A year in prison for killing someone because you were criminally stupid with a ton of speeding metal. Jeez. The victim’s friends and family will suffer a lot longer than that. I don’t think that’s going to deter too many people from driving while distracted. As for the kid, it depends on him on how well he will rehabilitate in jail, but I would put money on the fact when he will drive distracted again in his life.
As a bike that finds him self in traffic alot, this is one of my fears. And the drivers here in Pittsburgh does not help. I have been nearly hit atlest 8 times in the last 2 years, then the drivers that are doing something illegal at the time (driving on the wrong side of the road, running a red, etc…) get mad at the biker for being in their way.
People need to be *actually* held responsible for their actions. It does not matter to me if you are a minor or not. If you drive, you should be old enough to be held responsible for what you do.
If you aren’t old enough, raise the age before you can drive.
One year maximum for killing someone is crazy.
So sad that the law can only do so little here; well, there is always the wrongful death suit by the family…
Upon further reflection, the driver should loose their license for at least 5 years, maybe the rest of their life.
I ride my bicycle for commuting, and I used to work with a fellow who was at fault in a fatal automobile accident. I can assure you that the criminal will never forget and always regret the suffering caused by his inattention.
It’s a sad fact in the race for bigger vehicles that the most environmentaly friendly vehicles (bicycles) are among the most dangerous. Motorcycles can at least keep up with traffic, but with the added risk of more kinetic energy.
This just blows my mind that someone would be charged with a misdemeanor for taking the life of another human being. I am an avid cyclist in my community and like Michael, being hit is also one of my fears. I live in a college town smack in the middle of Texas so a large portion of the drivers in my community are young and driving the largest truck or SUV ever manufactured in this country.
I totally agree that people need to be held responsible for their actions, especially when getting behind the wheel of a car.
One event that is bringing awareness to this issue is the Ride Of Silence. I participated in it this year and it was nice to see a large turnout.
I ride my bicycle for commuting and recreation thousands of miles a year. I was recently hit by a motorist as well. The fact that this teenager didn’t get a harsher punishment doesn’t surprise me. I’ve been hit twice in the last two years (the one above and once last year) by motorists making illegal right turns and neither was ticketed.
What motorists forget in their big metal body armor is that, in a low-speed accident with another motorist, the cars involved will need some repair and there might be some minor injuries. When they get involved in what would be a fender bender with a cyclist (or a motorcyclist), the cyclist is going to the hospital.
People who can’t be bothered to pay attention when they’re driving shouldn’t be driving. And people text messaging in the car shouldn’t get to drive again. Ever.
I don’t think that’s too harsh a punishment for somebody who kills another human being with an automobile. If I killed somebody with a gun, I wouldn’t ever get to have one or use one again. I don’t see why this should be that different.
I think a better approach would be to get the message out about driving while distracted (or intoxicated), rather than throwing the book at people after the fact. Even though a harsher sentence may be justified, I believe it would engender a feeling of injustice: that one is being overly punished when there was no intention to cause harm.
“Ride of Silence” may be a lot more effective in preventing accidents than a 5 year prison term or license suspension, by bringing awareness to the issue for thousands of drivers. Who knows the punishment for serious traffic offenses until it happens to them, or there’s a press article like this? And even when they know, who really believes it will happen to them, until you explain that it can happen to almost anybody…
This kid, like me, has probably never had a real discussion about how an accident can happen in a split second, during a distraction that doesn’t seem dangerous. And I have attended a lot of Drivers Education courses in my life, to get out of tickets.
I’ve learned the hard way how small distractions can lead to horrible results, and yet I still catch myself wandering off or being distracted for too long by the radio, A/C, or cell phone. I think these kinds of distractions happen to the vast majority of drivers. It’s just a matter of luck that a car or bike isn’t turning, or braking, etc.. right at that time.
So while there are millions of bad drivers who get distracted all the time, (and don’t look for bikers,) it’s only a matter of luck, or probability, that a small percentage of those distractions will result in an accident. And an even smaller probability that the accident will be fatal.
Revamping Drivers Ed programs and raising awareness to the dangers of cell phones, radios, etc. would be more effective than raising the punishment for what is mostly bad luck.
drivers ed is not going to help with the overall mindset of this country “me first”. The “it’s-all-about-me” generation changed the whole issue of manners, which is what a lot of road safety is about.
I make a point to come to a complete stop at stop signs, and have been honked at by the “glide by” drivers who treat it as a yield sign. I stop for people crossing the street…..and have been honked and cursed at. I don’t go through the just-changing-to- red’s…and that also raises the hackles of some.
And, sometimes, when a bicyclist is in the lane, I will actually wait and go behind him, until I can safely maneuver around (not all streets have designated bike lanes, and bike lanes are not “turn lanes”).
However, a LOT of bikers are asswipes, too. I can’t count the number of times that I’ve had to slam on my brakes for a bike that zoom out of nowhere, across a CROSSWALK (in Berkeley, there are a number of bike paths/walking paths, that dump out onto a crosswalk along the Ohlone Trail) and never even LOOK back. I’ve had bikes traveling on the wrong side of the road (unnerving at night). I’ve had bikes try and ride in the center of the left lane on a two lane road, oblivious to the cars stacking up behind them. I’ve had to deal with the stupidity of Critical Mass on the freeways and delaying traffic for hours (including once, when I had to get my Mother to the emergency room). I am sick of seeing riders without helmets (evidently a law, that is never enforced). I’m tired of seeing bike riders with passengers, and tired of the daredevil riders who zoom in and out of traffic.
But, then again…I think that it’s all manners.
As for riding my bike…..I gave up after the dozenth parked car flung open his door right infront of me, the cars that tossed crap out the window in my driection, the drivers who elected to “play chicken” with a bicycle, the drivers who don’t look…and who have **obviously** never ridden a bike, and the pedestrians who seem to think nothing of jaywalking right infront of a bike, and other bike riders who don’t give any warning before passing on the right/left, whatever, or worse….come right at you…riding on the wrong side of the street..
“Do your own thing”…has resulted in a nation of morons.
I commute by bike nearly every day(20+mile roundtrip), and of course fear death by cell phone teen SUV drivers. BUT, this is a tragic ACCIDENT …sure caused by negligence of the driver but still, not done on purpose. The punishment here is tricky to determine…as T.C. says it could happen to anyone….it just takes a moments inattention. Let Detroit and the other big “high tech” car companies with teams of engineers put real safety features in the cars instead of more cup holders. Bike riding is still generally safe and LESS likely to kill you than riding in a car. My condolences to the family and I wish them the best.
Before you throw the book at this kid and lock him away for the rest of his life, you had better put the entire incident in the proper context.
50,000 people are killed on U.S. highways every year. Stupidity is the root cause for most of them. What this 17-year old did was foolish and he deserves to be punished — although I’m not sure what purpose jail time serves. But how do the courts destinguish between accidents caused by text messaging, reaching for the radio tuner, yelling at the kids fighting in the back seat, daydreaming, or driving while drowsy? I guess everyone guilty of the above should be locked up for 10 years.
There is a reason they are called “accidents”.
My one and only collision with a bike occurred many years ago. I was turning right with several cars ahead of me. The light changed and the line waited while some pedestrians crossed. When I got to the intersection and started making my turn, doing about Five MPH, a bike, flying up between the line of cars and the sidewalk, smashed into the side of my car. The rider flew over the handle bars and rolled off the hood. If I had been going much faster I might have driven over top of him but luckily I stopped in time. In the end the Police gave HIM a ticket for an illegal pass and I had to take him to Small Claims Court to collect for the damage to my car.
As an occasional bicycle and former motorcycle rider, I am very aware of the danger these riders are under. As a result I try to always give them extra room and pass them as if I were the rider.
But text messaging while driving? C’mon. That ranks right up there with drinking and driving for stupidity. One year in jail maximum for taking a life? A person would most likely get much more then that for having some marijuana on him. Something just ain’t right in Colorado.